chicken with tomatoes and honey

Ingredient for 2 chickens weighing about 3 ibs each :

* 5kg (11 Ibs) of tomatoes * 300g (11 oz)of buffer * 1 heaped teaspoonful of pepper

* 1 coffeespoonfu, of saffron (mixed packet saffron and crushed flowers) * 2 grated onions

* 6 soupspoonfuls of thick honey * 1 heaped soupspoonful of cinnamon * 150 g (5 oz) of almonds

* 1 soupspoonful of grilled sesame seed * salt

Preparation:

Peel, seed and cut the tomatoes into pieces (never pass them through a vegetable sieve). Put the chickens, whole or cut into pieces, in a thick-bottomed saucepan with the offal. Put the tomatoes on top. Add salt, butter, pepper, saffron and grated onions. Cook with the lid on, over a moderate heat, stirring frequently.

When the chickens are cooked, i.e. the flesh comes away from the bones easily in the fingers, take them out and put on one side. Let the tomatoes boil down until all the juice has evaporated and the butter separates from them. This is a sort of tomato purée Which must be stirred often, taking care to scrape the bottom of the saucepan to prevent anything sticking.

Leave the tomatoes to fry gently in the butter for a few minutes and then add the honey and cinnamon , Mix well and put the chickens back to re-heat and absorb the sauce. They should be turned often. Remove from the heat. As the chicken is re-heating, fry the peeled almonds in oil. Arrange the chicken on a dish with the tomato purée on top and decorate with the almonds and grilled sesame seeds. Serve at once.